Crufts 2024 has completed its first day at the NEC Birmingham, with agility, heelwork, flyball, the Vulnerable Breeds Competition and the judging of the Utility and Toy groups.
Father and daughter partnership Dean and Abbie Cund from Birmingham saw their three-year-old French Bulldog called Elton win the Utility group, with Abbie saying: “I am completely lost for words. It’s just a dream beyond a dream come true. He’s unbelievable.”
Elton becomes the first finalist for the Best in Show judging on Sunday. Joining him is a Papillon called Rafa, who was declared the winner of the Toy group. The Vulnerable Breeds competition was won by Brida Della Bassa Pavase, an Irish Wolfhound owned by Dr F Agnoli, just ahead of the start of the group judging.
The Dalmation led the Utility group with 223 entries while the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel led the Toy group with 278 contenders. Last year, these two groups were judged on the final day ahead of the Best in Show finale. We have also included the 2023 winners and finalists below as a reminder of what happened in the Resorts World Arena last year.
Crufts 2024 Utility and Toy group winner and runners-up
Winner of Utility Group 2024: French Bulldog – Ch/esp Ch Chelmbull Rocket Man Ww (Miss A & Mr D, Mr A & Mrs L Cund & Harrop), known as Elton
Reserve: Tibetan Spaniel – Ch Castafiore Riddhima (Mr A & Mr L Moran & Prouve)
Third: Poodle (Standard) – Ch/am Ch Hallifax Hightide Hedonist at Afterglow (ai) (Imp Usa) (Mrs M, Mr J & Mr T Galloway, Lynn & Isherwood)
Fourth: Tibetan Terrier – Am Gchg Barnstorm One Chance Fancy by Dzine (Mrs D & Mrs P & Ms L & Ms M Planche & Bernardo & Cook & Demers)
Remaining finalists on the shortlist:
German Spitz (Klein): Ch Longsdale’s Blame It On Me (Mr G & Mr D Pearce & Francis)
Japanese Akita Inu: Sh Ch Dai Kichi Go Shun’you Kensha (Miss S Exposito)
Lhasa Apso: Multi Ch Ithera Cosa Di Vero (Ms L. & Ms N. Cesnaviciute & Rudminiene)
Miniature Schnauzer: Ch Penbro Man About Town (Miss R & Miss L Woods)
Winner of Toy Group 2024: Papillon – Is Ch Fashion First High Priority (Mrs A M Gudbergsdottir), known as Rafa
Reserve: Pomeranian – Ch Lireva’s Wildest Dreams (A M Cawthera-Purdy)
Third: Chihuahua (Long Coat – Jp/dk/se/fi/no Ch Bramver’s Millionaire (Mrs Irene Peeker)
Fourth: Miniature Pinscher: Ch Hawksflight Hot Pursuit JW (Ms T & Miss J Watkins & Bugden)
Remaining finalists on the shortlist:
Bichon Frise: Ch/am Ch Holdsway Lion King (imp) (Mr M & Mr P & Mr S W Coad & Sanghoon Lee & Nam)
Chinese Crested: Int/multi Ch Achilles Empathie (Mrs M Sojka)
English Toy Terrier (Black and Tan): Ch Nasabe Don’t Tell Him (Mr A Leonard)
Japanese Chin: Ch Harlouville Uptown Girl JW (Mrs T & Mr A Quinn)
Maltese: Multi/int Ch Carmidanick Bohemian Rhapsody (Mrs C Roberts)
Pekingese: Ch Pekehuis Apollo (Mr J & Miss W J Shaw & Mee)
Crufts 2023 Utility and Toy group winner and runners-up
Here’s a reminder of the judging results for the Utility and Toy groups last year:
Winner of Utility Group 2023: Poodle (Standard) – Ch Huffish Rewrite The Stars with Atastar (Imp Swe) (Mr P Langdon), known as Jake
Reserve: Japanese Akita Inu – Sh Ch Dai Kichi Go Shun’you Kensha (Miss S Exposito)
Third: Miniature Schnauzer – Jp Ch Joker Land’s First Call (Mr M Uryu)
Fourth: Chow Chow – Int Ch Kool Kashmir from Kwaitang (Mrs M. & Mr M. Kvetny & Lunau)
Winner of Toy Group 2023: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel – Ch Ellemich American Express (Mrs M & Miss T Chapman & Ireland), known as Dublin
Reserve: Yorkshire Terrier – Ch/multi Ch Royal Precious Jp’s F4 Conan (Mrs Obana)
Third: Chihuahua (Long Coat) – Jp/dk/se/fi/no Ch Bramver’s Millionaire (Mrs Irene Peeker)
Fourth: Papillon – Ir Ch Eryanto’s The Great Guinness Denemore (Mr S & J Carroll & Newman)
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
